The 6-foot-1, 185-pound left-handed hitter from Byrnes has started all 15 games this season in becoming an instant big-time contributor trying to get the program back to the College World Series for the first time since 2010.

“He's done a great job and has great work ethic and is a very strong competitor with a really good focus on what he's doing,” Clemson coach Jack Leggett said. “He loves to play and loves to practice and when you combine all those things together along with some baseball maturity and his instincts you've got yourself a real nice freshman player.

“He's playing like he's older than that and while everybody makes mistakes he's made some real good adjustments early. We knew he was a good player in high school and saw all the intangibles he had and when he got here he made a pretty seamless transition and earned his way into being one of our go-to players. He didn't expect anything to be handed to him and I could see early he'd be a good player right away for us and a really good one as time goes on.

“He's got a great future here and I'm just glad he's on our team. The biggest thing he brings to the table is that he's a winner.”

Duggar is fourth on the team with a .278 batting average and has a hit in 12 of 15 games. He's tied with a team-high four doubles, is second with seven walks and 11 runs, tied for third with 19 total bases and fourth in slugging at .352. He leads all Clemson outfielders with 32 putouts and three assists with an unblemished fielding percentage.

“I'm not surprised because you work hard in the weight room all summer getting bigger, stronger and faster and stay positive throughout the fall and then this game is all about making adjustments and I was able to do that early and get things going off to a good start,” Duggar said.

The 19-year-old went 3-for-3 in an opening-day victory over William & Mary and was 5-for-9 with three runs scored and an RBI over the three-game series. He had two hits and two RBIs in Clemson's lone victory over South Carolina at Greenville's Fluor Field and two games later missed a homer by inches while driving in a season-high four runs in a win over Wofford. He went hitless in his last game against Charleston Southern to break a six-game hitting streak.

Duggar called the biggest adjustment from high school pitching to facing collegiate guys is that college pitchers are better at spotting their pitches and while in high school you might face a stud hurler here and there, at the next level the depth is daunting.

“It's definitely the consistency of the pitching,” he said. “Every single Friday you get the best of their staff with a high 80s to mid 90s type guy and then you see it all three games. In high school you'll see one big-time guy once in a while, but here it's every single day you come out and see good arms.

“Velocity is definitely a factor, but it's more the location of the pitches. You've got guys in this league that can spot the fastball perfect on the outer half and come back with something off-speed anywhere on the plate on any count.”

Duggar was a two-time all-state and three-time all-region selection at Byrnes and was a two-time offensive MVP in providing the big bat to complement the arm of star pitcher Daniel Gossett. The two long-time friends reunited at Clemson, with Gossett arriving a year earlier and already becoming the team's ace Friday starter.

Duggar grew up rooting for his father's alma mater Tennessee and had multiple offers from powerhouse baseball programs like South Carolina and the College of Charleston, but his long-standing friendship with Gossett helped lure him to Clemson.

“Right when Goose committed to Clemson we'd come down together and catch a game every weekend and after he got here I came down to watch him play,” Duggar said. “His commitment to here definitely persuaded me a little bit because I was always down here with him having some good experiences and it increased my level of interest and I've loved it ever since.

“You've got your childhood best friend and you see him go to a school that you're capable of also going to and it just worked out that we're still playing together. There were some other teams that had offered, but Clemson was always the frontrunner and it was a decision I made that was right for me.”

Of course the fact that the Tigers have been in the postseason in all but one of Leggett's 19 seasons as head coach (including six CWS appearances in Omaha, Neb.) was also quite a lure.

“There's no expectation that's set lower than that and it's Omaha or nothing,” Duggar said.

<p>At first blush there's no indication that sweet-swinging and slick-fielding Clemson outfielder Steven Duggar is merely a freshman with only 54 collegiate at-bats.</p><p>The 6-foot-1, 185-pound left-handed hitter from Byrnes has started all 15 games this season in becoming an instant big-time contributor trying to get the program back to the College World Series for the first time since 2010.</p><p>“He's done a great job and has great work ethic and is a very strong competitor with a really good focus on what he's doing,” Clemson coach Jack Leggett said. “He loves to play and loves to practice and when you combine all those things together along with some baseball maturity and his instincts you've got yourself a real nice freshman player.</p><p>“He's playing like he's older than that and while everybody makes mistakes he's made some real good adjustments early. We knew he was a good player in high school and saw all the intangibles he had and when he got here he made a pretty seamless transition and earned his way into being one of our go-to players. He didn't expect anything to be handed to him and I could see early he'd be a good player right away for us and a really good one as time goes on.</p><p>“He's got a great future here and I'm just glad he's on our team. The biggest thing he brings to the table is that he's a winner.”</p><p>Duggar is fourth on the team with a .278 batting average and has a hit in 12 of 15 games. He's tied with a team-high four doubles, is second with seven walks and 11 runs, tied for third with 19 total bases and fourth in slugging at .352. He leads all Clemson outfielders with 32 putouts and three assists with an unblemished fielding percentage.</p><p>“I'm not surprised because you work hard in the weight room all summer getting bigger, stronger and faster and stay positive throughout the fall and then this game is all about making adjustments and I was able to do that early and get things going off to a good start,” Duggar said.</p><p>The 19-year-old went 3-for-3 in an opening-day victory over William & Mary and was 5-for-9 with three runs scored and an RBI over the three-game series. He had two hits and two RBIs in Clemson's lone victory over South Carolina at Greenville's Fluor Field and two games later missed a homer by inches while driving in a season-high four runs in a win over Wofford. He went hitless in his last game against Charleston Southern to break a six-game hitting streak.</p><p>Duggar called the biggest adjustment from high school pitching to facing collegiate guys is that college pitchers are better at spotting their pitches and while in high school you might face a stud hurler here and there, at the next level the depth is daunting.</p><p>“It's definitely the consistency of the pitching,” he said. “Every single Friday you get the best of their staff with a high 80s to mid 90s type guy and then you see it all three games. In high school you'll see one big-time guy once in a while, but here it's every single day you come out and see good arms.</p><p>“Velocity is definitely a factor, but it's more the location of the pitches. You've got guys in this league that can spot the fastball perfect on the outer half and come back with something off-speed anywhere on the plate on any count.”</p><p>Duggar was a two-time all-state and three-time all-region selection at Byrnes and was a two-time offensive MVP in providing the big bat to complement the arm of star pitcher Daniel Gossett. The two long-time friends reunited at Clemson, with Gossett arriving a year earlier and already becoming the team's ace Friday starter.</p><p>Duggar grew up rooting for his father's alma mater Tennessee and had multiple offers from powerhouse baseball programs like South Carolina and the College of Charleston, but his long-standing friendship with Gossett helped lure him to Clemson. </p><p>“Right when Goose committed to Clemson we'd come down together and catch a game every weekend and after he got here I came down to watch him play,” Duggar said. “His commitment to here definitely persuaded me a little bit because I was always down here with him having some good experiences and it increased my level of interest and I've loved it ever since.</p><p>“You've got your childhood best friend and you see him go to a school that you're capable of also going to and it just worked out that we're still playing together. There were some other teams that had offered, but Clemson was always the frontrunner and it was a decision I made that was right for me.”</p><p>Of course the fact that the Tigers have been in the postseason in all but one of Leggett's 19 seasons as head coach (including six CWS appearances in Omaha, Neb.) was also quite a lure.</p><p>“There's no expectation that's set lower than that and it's Omaha or nothing,” Duggar said.</p>